December 27, 2005

Contact:
Linda Young (310) 396-1610

"THE TREE OF 180 KEYS" CREATED AT LINCOLN PLACE TENT CITY
Art Project Illustrates Large Scale of Evictions at Lincoln Place

What: 180 keys made of packing materials hang in a 24-foot-high holiday tree at the Lincoln Place Tent City in Venice. The project was developed and implemented by evicted Lincoln Place tenants.

Where: The Tree of 180 Keys is located in the Lincoln Place Tent City in Venice, CA
(1 mile south of the 10 freeway, Lincoln Blvd exit. Frederick St. is 1 block east of Lincoln Blvd. at Ross Dress For Less.)
(map)

Why:

180 is the number of entire families (not individuals) who received Ellis Act eviction notices at Lincoln Place Apartments in March 2005.

The keys represent the unwillingness of the tenants to relinquish their keys to AIMCO (American Investment and Management Company), whom the tenants believe has committed unlawful acts which are being litigated at the present time.

The keys are made of packing material, representing the fact that the tenants have had to pack up all of their possessions and put them into storage while searching for elusive and rapidly vanishing affordable housing.

The city regularly sanctions the demolition of already scarce affordable housing at the behest of developers who want to erect high-density and high-priced condominiums which both the city infrastructure and neighboring communities do not support.

In December 2005, just in time for Christmas, 58 families at Lincoln Place were locked out of their homes -- 52 of them on December 6 alone, constituting the largest single-day eviction in the history of Los Angeles. In March 2006 the remaining 86 households residing at Lincoln Place, who were legally able to stay longer due to disabilities and advanced age, will be locked out as well. Many of these people, some having lived at Lincoln Place for several decades, are on fixed incomes and have nowhere to go.

Our Tree of 180 Keys stands as a monument to the spirit of those Americans who are still willing make sacrifices in order to force corporate America and elected officials to act responsibly.

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© Lincoln Place Tenants Association
Email: info@lincolnplace.net